You are here

Josh Powell did something drastic when killing himself and his two sons; while Buck Brannaman also explains how his father tried to kill this famed horse whisperer when he was a boy.

Father’s worldwide are at a breaking point, say social scientists. Meanwhile, Bill Cosby sums it up best with “those who hurt, hurt.” In turn, what went on inside the mind of Josh Powell, during the recent double-murder-suicide, was revealed worldwide Feb. 7 when ABC and other news media played a voicemail Powell left for his family members: “Hello, this is Josh. And I’m calling to say goodbye,” a shaking voice on the voicemail said. "I am not able to live without my sons, and I'm not able to go on anymore. I'm sorry to everyone I've hurt. Goodbye.” In turn, the police and autopsy reports released the day after the Feb. 5 murders, pointed to “the acts of a violent man,” reported ABC News, “who meticulously planned his actions, culminating Sunday in Powell setting his house ablaze and taking a hatchet to his children's necks.” At the same time, the famed “Horse Whisperer Buck Brannaman explains in his Oscar nominated documentary “Buck,” that his father beat him and his brother over and over again as kids; while Buck said he often “feared for his life.” Meanwhile, other “broken” fathers across the nation often lead lives of quiet desperation; while taking out their frustrations on the backs of their sons and daughters.

Moreover, this issue of “father’s abusing their kids” is not new; but “a huge problem worldwide,” states a recent Amnesty International report that explains in many countries “fathers view their children like property.”

Father’s feel cornered today due to hard times

Because most men view their “value” by their jobs or bank accounts, many millions are suffering today due to the ongoing recession, high unemployment and no direction known for them as physiologists warn that these men, these fathers, are broken and there’s no safety net now in America to help them ease their worried minds, even while they may be abusing their sons, daughters and wives in the process.

For instance, Susan Powell's parents, Chuck and Judy Cox, told NBC’s Today Feb. 7 that “they feared for the lives of their grandkids and believed that Josh Powell would do something drastic ‘if he felt cornered.’”

In turn, just before “setting his house ablaze and killing himself and his two young sons, Powell left a voicemail for family members saying he couldn't live without the boys and didn't want to go on anymore,” ABC News reported; while also featuring mental health experts who point to an “invisible epidemic” that’s been going on for years, with father’s abusing their spouse and children behind closed doors.

Buck details in father’s beatings

Unlike the two sons of Josh and Susan Powell, Buck Brannaman -- one of the most respected cowboys in the country – said in his new film “Buck” that he would be dead today if someone didn’t step in and take him and his brother away from his abusive father.

Brannaman is the inspiration for "The Horse Whisperer," and now has produced his own life story of finding peace among horses in the Old West after a tumultuous childhood is up for an Oscar nomination.

"The horses at that time in my life, they saved my life," Brannaman told ABC News in a recent TV report. "The horses did way for me than I did for them. So they were my friends, and they were sort of my refuge. So it's interesting that I've been given the opportunity to spend the rest of my life making things better for the horses."

"Buck" is a documentary that follows Brannaman, who was also a consultant for actor Robert Redford on the set of the 1998 movie "The Horse Whisperer" as he travels across the United States, running sold-out horse training clinics that not only teach horse owners about their horses but about themselves too.

"I often tell people in the clinics, the human possesses the one thing that means more to the horse than anything in the world, and that is peace and comfort," Brannaman said. "That's all they want."

ABC News also noted that “Brannaman, who is never without his token cowboy hat and scarf, begins every clinic lesson with pointing out that horses have spent tens of thousands of years as prey, so they are hardwired with the fear of being killed and eaten.”

"You tell a horse, 'Don't worry, I just want to climb on you,' in a posture to how a lion would kill a horse, 'and then you say, 'Oh, one more thing. I want to strap the hides of dead animals on you,'" Brannaman said. "He's got to believe in you, and amazingly enough, they'll let you do it."

Father’s who view their kids as property

This cowboy named "Buck" understands perpetual fear because he spent most of his childhood terrified of his father, added the ABC News report.

"I don't remember a time in my life, the entire time I knew him, that I wasn't scared of him," Brannaman said. "The last couple of years after my mom passed away, it got to where it was me and my brother at 11, 12 years old. We talked about dying every day."

At the same time, this issue of father's worldwide who abuse their children behind closed doors -- with society doing little due to the view that "these kids are the property" of the fathers -- is an issue that goes back to the dawn of time, say social scientists who say that "in almost every culture there's been abusive fathers."

Father beat Buck on a regular basis

For instance, the ABC News reported explained that “when Brannaman was 6 years old, he said his father decided that the he and his brother would be professional trick ropers. After enough rodeo shows, they earned their own Pops cereal commercial and a shot on the popular TV game show "What's My Line."

But if their performances weren't perfect, Brannaman said his father would beat the two boys relentlessly. The abuse went on until one day a school football coach noticed the marks on Buck Brannaman's back when he was changing in the locker room for gym class and called the local sheriff. The boys were taken away and placed in foster care. Their father was livid, Brannaman said.

"He actually sent us birthday cards for the next two or three years, telling us that when we turned 18 he was going to hunt us down and kill us," he said. "He would send us letters and tell us that he was watching us through the scope of his rifle at my foster parents' ranch."

Brannaman said his foster parents provided safety and love. His biological father died in 1992.

Image source of the movie poster for “Buck,” a 2011 documentary about the famous “Horse Whisperer Buck Brannaman,” who reveals his early life being abused by his father and how horses know if someone is abusive. This Oscar nominated documentary has been praised for exposing the issue of abuse by fathers worldwide. Photo courtesy Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buck_(film)